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Saturday, July 04, 2009
Compiled 12 AM GMT |
HEADLINE NEWS and ANALYSIS ALERT E-MAIL |
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| TOP STORIES |
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Europe lashes out at Iran plan to try UK Embassy staff
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A powerful Iranian cleric said Friday British Embassy local staff arrested for allegedly stoking unrest after the June election will be put on trial, a move that prompted coordinated protests from European governments. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "urgently seeking clarification" about the announcement as governments.
Lebanon tops agenda of foreign states
By Elias Sakr
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Kouchner will hold talks with Lebanese officials on July 9 to convey France's satisfaction with the manner in which Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary polls were managed. The situation in Lebanon will also be the focus of talks between.
G8: Major countries should back US dollar
Compiled by Daily Star Staff
Major countries should support the dollar as the key international currency, although emerging nations may discuss a new global reserve currency on the sidelines of the G8 summit next week, a Japanese official said on Friday. China has asked for debate on a new global reserve currency when leaders from the Group of Eight (G8).
BSE up 2 percent in anticipation of new cabinet formation
By Regional Press Network (RPN)
Equities on the Beirut Stock Exchange (BSE) rode a mid-week wave of optimism regarding the prospects of a new cabinet, ending the week up 2 percent. Despite a pick-up in trading activity, analysts and traders said the market remained in "wait-and-see" mode pending the announcement of a new cabinet before equities can surge.
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| REGIONAL POLITICS |
Families wait at Iran's Evin prison for release of loved ones
By Inter Press Service
Outside the gates of Terhan's notorious Evin prison, hundreds wait impatiently - some with blankets spread out in the parking lot on the street below, making time for dinner. The improvised picnic area has become a second home to the families of those arrested in the massive roundups that accompanied Iran's post-election unrest.
President Assad praises Obama, invites him to visit Syria
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Syria's leader praised President Barack Obama's outreach for dialogue and invited him to visit Damascus in remarks released Friday just days after the United States said it plans to return its ambassador to Syria after a four year absence. Syrian President Bashar Assad comments came in a telegram.
Sadr supporters burn US flag in protest at Vice President Biden's visit to Iraq
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A fiery protest marked the start on Friday of US Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Iraq, with supporters of the Shiite anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr burning the Stars and Stripes. Biden met General Ray Odierno, the top US officer in Iraq, and Christopher Hill, Washington's ambassador in Baghdad, who briefed him on the military and political situation.
Europe lashes out at Iran plan to try UK Embassy staff
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A powerful Iranian cleric said Friday British Embassy local staff arrested for allegedly stoking unrest after the June election will be put on trial, a move that prompted coordinated protests from European governments. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he was "urgently seeking clarification" about the announcement as governments.
Palestinians detain rivals in respective territories to strengthen grip
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces have significantly widened a crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank in the past month. They have doubled the number of detainees and are increasingly targeting the wives of activists, school teachers and others on the fringes of the Islamic militant group, Hamas officials say.
Iran shows tensions between ultras, reformers
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
The political unrest in Iran over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election marks a key point in the ideological struggle between ultra-conservatives and reformers, according to analysts. Thirty years after the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the two factions are finding co-habitation increasingly difficult.
Israeli sub sails to Suez, signals reach to Iran
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
An Israeli submarine sailed the Suez Canal to the Red Sea as part of a naval drill last month, defense sources said on Friday, describing the unusual manoeuvre as a show of strategic reach in the face of Iran. Israel long kept its three Dolphin-class submarines, which are widely assumed to carry nuclear missiles.
Bahrain officials travel to Israel to recover activists
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
An official Bahrain delegation travelled to Israel on an unprecedented trip to recover a group of nationals held by the Jewish state, the state news agency reported on Friday. According to BNA, the Bahrainis were in a group of pro-Palestinian activists on a ship seized by the Israeli navy Tuesday as it headed for the Gaza Strip in defiance of Israel's blockade.
Israeli Defense Ministry calls for easing Gaza blockade
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Israel's Defense Ministry has recommended a partial lifting of the embargo on the Gaza Strip as a goodwill gesture toward the Palestinians to spur talks to free a long-held captive soldier, an Israeli news site reported Friday. Israel has been linking the opening of Gaza's borders to the release of SergeantGilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier held by Hamas for three years.
Top Shiite clerics in Iraq silent on Iran unrest
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
There is no place outside Iran that has closer links to Tehran's ruling establishment than Iraq's holy Shiite city of Najaf, where the silence during Iran's post-election crisis says much about the deep complexities of their cross-border bonds. "Simply put, the whole affair does not concern Najaf," said Sheikh Ali al-Najafi.
Saddam stayed in Baghdad until city fell - FBI
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until just hours before it was clear the city was about to fall after the US-led 2003 invasion, according to newly released FBI interviews with the deposed Iraqi dictator. Summarizing 27 interviews between January and June 2004, newly declassified FBI documents offer an unusual window on Saddam's view of himself.
Comoros begins month of mourning for crash victims
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Comorans began 30 days of national mourning on Friday for the victims of the Yemenia Airbus crash as France threatened to blacklist the airline over safety concerns. "From today, our country is in a period of mourning for 30 days," President Ahmad Abdallah Sambi announced on state television late Thursday.
Darfur rebel group signs deal with Sudan opposition party
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Darfur rebels signed an accord with one of Sudan's main opposition parties in Cairo on Wednesday, agreeing to push for a new transitional government, both sides said on Friday, a move that will infuriate Khartoum. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which attacked Khartoum last year.
African leaders agree on new regional authority
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
African leaders reached a compromise early Friday on the powers of a new regional authority that will coordinate key policies but have little power to act without a mandate from member states. In lengthy and often-heated talks, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi - the current African Union chief.
Interim Honduras leader hints he is open to early elections
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Honduras' interim leader said he was open to early elections if it resolves an impasse with the world community, as a top diplomat headed to the Central American nation to demand he restore the president ousted by a coup. With time running out on a Saturday deadline by the Organization of American States.
South Korea warns North may soon fire off more missiles
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
South Korea shrugged off North Korea's firing of short-range missiles, saying on Friday that they were part of routine military exercises and warning more launches are likely in coming days. Whether the communist country will fire a long-range missile toward Hawaii remained unclear, though US defense officials said such a launch did not appear imminent.
British troops expand Afghan military operation
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Hundreds of British troops have key seized canal crossings in a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, military officials said on Friday, part of a new US-led operation to wrest the initiative from insurgents. The British push, one of the largest its overstretched troops have made in the Taliban heartland.
US drone strike kills 10 Taliban insurgents in Pakistan
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
A US drone aircraft fired missiles on Friday into Pakistan's South Waziristan region, killing 10 insurgents, officials said, ahead of an expected Pakistani military offensive in the area. The United States, facing a growing Afghan insurgency, began stepping up drone attacks on insurgent strongholds in lawless enclaves on the Pakistani side of the border.
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| LEBANON POLITICS |
Lebanon tops agenda of foreign states
By Elias Sakr
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevalier announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Kouchner will hold talks with Lebanese officials on July 9 to convey France's satisfaction with the manner in which Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary polls were managed. The situation in Lebanon will also be the focus of talks between.
UNIFIL chief says festivals in south 'healthy sign'
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said numerous festivals being held across south Lebanon were "a healthy sign." "Cultural festivals currently being held in south Lebanon carry signs of stability and the promise of a better future," General Claudio Graziano said on Friday.
Qabbani sees Syrian-Saudi talks benefitting Lebanon
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani expressed confidence Friday that the recent Saudi-Syrian talks will reflect positively on the overall situation in Lebanon. "We feel comfortable concerning the inter-Arab deliberations, led by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, which will benefit Lebanon," Qabbani said.
Fadlallah slams interference in Lebanese affairs
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah slammed on Friday regional and international interference in Lebanon's domestic affairs. "We hear of slogans calling for freedom and democracy, yet regional and international powers interfere in Lebanese domestic affairs and make decisions on our behalf," Fadlallah said.
Military court adjourns trial of 'spies' for Israel
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A Lebanese military court adjourned Friday the trial of brothers Ali and Youssef Jarrah, who are charged with spying for Israel, a judicial source said. "The trial was postponed until July 27 after their attorneys requested the hearings be made confidential as they feel the lives of their clients and their clients' families are threatened by Israel.
Implementing change in Lebanon
By Marco Vicenzino
The 1989 Taif Accord which ended Lebanon's Civil War also ended Christian dominance of national politics and drastically reduced presidential powers, through which Christian hegemony was constitutionally expressed. However, the symbolism of Lebanon's presidency can still carry significant political weight if its office-holder astutely uses it.
US labels Iraq-based Kataeb Hizbullah a 'foreign terror group'
By Nicholas Kimbrell
The US government has labeled the Iraq-based Kataeb Hizbullah a "foreign terrorist organization" and levied financial sanctions against the outfit, saying it poses a risk to Iraqi security and has received support and training from the Lebanese Hizbullah movement. The US departments of State and Treasury both blacklisted the group Thursday.
Amnesty defends report on Israel's destruction of Gaza
By Dalila Mahdawi
Israel carried out "wanton" and "deliberate" destruction of the besieged Gaza Strip during a 22-day offensive in December and January, a leading human-rights group said Friday. Unveiling their latest report, "Operation 'Cast Lead': 22 Days of Death and Destruction," Amnesty International (AI) representatives in Beirut.
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| BUSINESS |
Oil sinks to $66 a barrel, falling by 4 percent in a day
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Oil fell towards $66 a barrel on Friday, adding to a drop of nearly 4 percent the previous day, as unemployment data hardened views economic weakness would sap energy demand further and that last month's rally was overdone. In the latest sign the economy of the world's top consumer was still struggling.
China wind companies poised for green policy boost
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
China's ambitious plan to increase wind power capacity could attract up to $150 billion in investment, but Beijing will have to get serious about revamping regulations and building much needed infrastructure.China is set to raise its wind power capacity to 100 gig watts (GW) by 2020, eight times its current level.
G8: Major countries should back US dollar
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Major countries should support the dollar as the key international currency, although emerging nations may discuss a new global reserve currency on the sidelines of the G8 summit next week, a Japanese official said on Friday. China has asked for debate on a new global reserve currency when leaders from the Group of Eight (G8).
Madoff's wife kicked out of Manhattan penthouse
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Federal marshals seized disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's $7 million Manhattan penthouse on Thursday and forced his wife to move out and leave her possessions behind, including a fur coat she had asked to take with her, an official told The Associated Press.
Aramex soars after nod to alter ownership rules
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Dubai-based logistics firm Aramex soared nearly 15 percent Thursday after regulators gave it the nod to modify its ownership rules, setting a possible precedent for firms eager to attract more foreign investors. Aramex shares, listed at the Dubai Financial Market, rose to their best finish in eight months, ending at Dh1.39 ($0.37).
Increasing unemployment in US and Europe sour market sentiments
Compiled By Daily Star Staff
Heavy job losses in the United States and Europe soured market sentiment, pointing to a long, slow recovery from the world's deepest recession in eight decades. Friday's euro-zone service-sector surveys for June and retails sales for May are unlikely to cheer investors either, with both sets of data expected.
Lebanon sees decline in deficit relative to revenues
By Regional Press Network (RPN)
Lebanon's fiscal performance report through the end of May showed a decline in the deficit as a percentage of revenue to 29.14 percent compared to 33.56 percent during the same period in 2008. The decrease in the deficit comes on the back of a solid 173 percent year-on-year increase in fuel-tax revenue in May.
BSE up 2 percent in anticipation of new cabinet formation
By Regional Press Network (RPN)
Equities on the Beirut Stock Exchange (BSE) rode a mid-week wave of optimism regarding the prospects of a new cabinet, ending the week up 2 percent. Despite a pick-up in trading activity, analysts and traders said the market remained in "wait-and-see" mode pending the announcement of a new cabinet before equities can surge.
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• More Regional Business | More Lebanon Business
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| LOCAL NEWS |
Purse-snatchers prey on women in tourist districts
By Cagil Kasapoglu
"I was shouting, screaming and extremely struggling with this stranger's arms squeezing my head, and his hands covering my mouth while he was trying to snatch my bag." Though this statement may sound like the climax of a movie script, it was made by an expatriate who was violently mugged in Gemmayzeh.
Lebanon illiteracy report shows alarming urban-rural divide
By Patrick Galey
If by naming Beirut as the 2009 World Book Capital the United Nations wishes to encourage the Lebanese to study more, its latest report should be a must-read. Lebanon's fourth National Human Development Report (NHDR), "Towards a Citizen's State," highlights a worrying discrepancy in adult reading rates between urban and rural regions.
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| ARTS & CULTURE |
Dance Fever: Not for feminists
By May Jeong
The night began innocently enough. Ten Irish dan?cers in form-fitting green dresses and matching tights performed a dynamic, staccato routine, pro?mising a night of harmless fun. Succeeding numbers suggested otherwise. Innocent spectators might have associated some of the routines that followed with Montreal's Super Sex.
A head for business, a heart for art
By Richard Hall
There is only one painting in front of which artists Emma Harake and Maher Kouraytem agree to be photographed. It depicts an owl that looks both menacing and adorable. A collaborative effort, the work is part of an exhibition of paintings currently on display at Zico House, which has pre?sently turned over one floor to the work of each artist.
An enchanting evening in tribute to the Star of the Orient
By Matthew Mosley
"A Tribute to Oum Kalthoum" might sound a terrible idea. The Egyptian diva, known variously as "Kawkab al-Sharq" ("The Star of the Orient") or "Al-Sitt" ("The Lady"), has such a legendary presence that any pretender to her throne seems bound for disaster. Like an actress playing Marilyn Monroe or a painter copying the canvases of Vincent van Gogh.
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| EDITORIALS |
Foreign meddling is no excuse for the Lebanese to not have a local agenda
By The Daily Star
For a long time it's been an open secret in Lebanon, although it continues to raise eyebrows, and cause extreme puzzlement. It's the following: a series of countries - Iran, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, France, and the US, for example - intervene in Lebanon. The players come and go, changing slightly, but this is "great secret" that isn't so secret.
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| OPINIONS |
Obama shouldn't put too much hope in a Kremlin-led thaw
By Masha Lipman
The emergence of a Kremlin leader, President Dmitri Medvedev, without a KGB background, combined with the economic crisis, has inspired talk that when Barack Obama visits Moscow, America's president will be seeing a country on the verge of a new political thaw, a revived perestroika.
Why the double standards on Iran?
By Rami G. Khouri
One of the big questions that will be with us for some time is about how countries around the world, especially the United States and other Western democracies, should deal with the government and ruling elite in Iran. This follows international condemnation of the regime's behavior in falsifying the presidential election results.
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| FORBES.COM FEATURES |
U.S. Air Force missile launch crew fell asleep
By Xinhua News Agency
Three ballistic missile crew members in North Dakota fell asleep while holding classified launch code devices this month, triggering an investigation by military and National Security Agency experts, the Air Force said Thursday. The probe found that the missile launch codes were outdated and remained secure at all times.
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| SCI & TECH |
Company turns everyday items into spy equipment
China-based spy product manufacturer, Ajoka Corporation H.K, has launched a new range of super-small spy products for consumer use. The assortment of compact and inexpensive gadgets from Ajoka takes video and audio recording into the world of James Bond gadgets.
LG defies downturn, launches 3 new models
LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday that the mobile phone market was holding up despite the global slump and announced plans to launch three models powered by Google's Android operating system this year. "The market is actually holding up versus last year. I think the recession impact is less than what we expected last year," said Chang Ma.
Volcano on Russian island creates dangerous giant ash cloud
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
A volcanic eruption on a remote Russian island north of Japan has created a giant ash cloud that threatens passing airplanes, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported on Sunday, citing Russian geologists. The eruption of Sarychev Peak on uninhabited Matua Island, part of the Kuril Islands archipelago in the north Pacific Ocean.
Touchscreen mobile phones grow in favor, consumer research shows
On Monday market researchers Compete released a review analyzing the importance of touchscreens in mobile phones. A recap on how mobile phone touchscreens can influence consumer's mobile phone purchases, the dominance of game consoles in the Web video viewing market and sales figures of electrical appliances.
'Moon' upends expectation about science fiction
"Moon" does something extraordinary: It seems familiar and derivative, yet upends your expectations about science fiction and surprises you over and over. Melancholy and mesmerizing, equal parts mystery and character drama, it keeps you guessing until the end.
Two obesity scientists to share Shaw Prize
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Two scientists whose work challenges the assumption that obesity is caused by a lack of willpower were Tuesday announced as the winners of the Shaw Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of the east. Douglas Coleman and Jeffrey Friedman, who both work in the United States, will share the $1 million Shaw Prize for Life Sciences and Medicine, organizers of the award said.
NASA scrambles to repair Endeavor fuel leak before launch window closes
NASA is repairing a leaky hydrogen gas line on Endeavour's fuel tank in hopes of launching the shuttle on its space-station construction mission Wednesday, four days after the first try was called off. But another NASA mission, involving a pair of science spacecraft bound for the moon, is scheduled to blast off Wednesday.
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| Health |
Teen alcohol, drug use 'linked' to dad's drinking
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Teenagers who live with alcoholic fathers or even dads who drink in moderation are more likely to have used drugs or had drinks themselves in the past year, a US study showed Thursday. Around one in five children aged 12 to 17 whose fathers were teetotalers in the past year had alcoholic beverages themselves.
Glaxo's CEO admits R&D overhaul has been traumatic
GlaxoSmithKline's chief executive acknowledged on Friday that overhauling its drug discovery machine had been traumatic but said "turning back the clock" on R&D was now delivering results. "It's been a major upheaval and I'd be the first to admit that a year ago morale in our discovery organization was not very good.
Canada looks to ban six chemicals in toys, set new lead limits
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Canada's Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq on Friday proposed banning six commonly-used chemicals in soft vinyl toys and child-care articles, as well as new strict limits for lead in products. The regulation would prevent the use of a family of chemicals (known as phthalates DEHP, DINP, DBP, BBP, DNOP and DIDP) in squeeze or inflatable toys, dolls, animal figures, school supplies and vinyl bibs.
Soaring global health funds 'not wisely spent'
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Global health funding boosted by private donors has quadrupled since 1990, but the extra money has not always gone to the right countries and diseases, according to a pair of studies released Friday. At the same time, the United Nation's once overwhelming role in administering international health assistance has shriveled.
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| Odd News |
Brazilian woman killed by husband's coffin
By Xinhua News Agency
A 67-year-old widow was hit in the head by her husband's coffin and died Monday morning in southern Brazil. The incident occurred in the small town of Tapes in southern Rio Grange do Sul state. According to the Federal Highway Police (PRF), Marciana da Silva Barcelos was sitting in the back seat of a Toyota Hilux pickup truck, which was transporting her husband's coffin to the cemetery in nearby Alvorada town.
Danish couple's wedding marathon
By Xinhua News Agency
A Danish couple got married four times in one day. Anette and Kenneth Lund-who broke the world record for the most weddings in a day-now plan to tie the knot once a year for the rest of their lives in a bid to keep their relationship exciting.
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